Former Taliban commander: We intended to kill journalists.
Mohammad Omar Mukhlis, a former Taliban commander in Paktia province and a member of the Haqqani network, admitted at his farewell party that the group intended to kill journalists, but most of them managed to flee the country.
“We would have killed all the journalists,” Mukhlis said at the party. “They were not journalists, they were traitors… but they survived and turned themselves in to their masters.”
The statements once again highlight the serious and widespread threat to journalists and media workers during the Taliban’s rule.
Sources say that Mohammad Omar Mukhlis has been appointed as the head of the third security zone in Kabul after being dismissed by Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada.
His dismissal caused tension between Haibatullah and Sirajuddin Haqqani, and Mukhlis initially refused to accept the order to dismiss him. Finally, with Sirajuddin Haqqani’s mediation and the promise of a higher position, he finally agreed to the Taliban leader’s decision.
These statements are being published at a time when the Taliban, despite declaring a general amnesty, have killed, tortured or imprisoned hundreds of former regime employees and have also detained, threatened and tortured dozens of journalists.
Mukhlis’s confession shows that threats against journalists are not only limited to official Taliban policies, but have also been part of the violent strategy of networks affiliated with this group, such as the Haqqani network.
